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School Profile · Palermo

Palermo: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Palermo posts 27% meeting the standard and 6.4% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

7350 Bulldog Way, 95968 (opens in new tab)·Palermo Union Elementary·Palermo·Grades 6-8·444 students·74% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 533-4708·Website
Scope Score
31
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,659 statewide

Palermo scores 31 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 26th percentile of 2,238 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “27% proficient” and call it done. Palermo deserves a closer read. The school sits in Palermo, where two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

31%
65%
Grade 6 · 35% proficient
9%
33%
58%
Grade 7 · 42% proficient
8%
26%
66%
Grade 8 · 34% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 4.8pp across grades; the proficiency floor barely moves. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
6.4%
State 16.8%
10.4pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-4.1pp
State +1.5pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
26.9%
State 39.3%
12.4pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
16.9%
State 18.5%
1.7pp below state avg
Suspension rate
11.4%
State 3.7%
7.8pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
15.6%
State 18.0%
2.3pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
No feeder data available for this level

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic33.3%
White46.4%
Asian3.8%
Black0.9%
Other15.5%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 74.1% (10pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
444
416 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
19:1
3 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$16,716
District avg: $14,010 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
15.6% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$63,371 – $125,328
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Palermo in Palermo, 31.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Palermo outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (12.0% Math proficient); White students (39.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 28.8 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 307 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Native American+9.8pp
26.7% vs 16.9% overall · n=15
Suspension · RW+4.0pp
15.4% vs 11.4% overall · n=208
ELA · Disabilities−28.8pp
8.0% vs 36.8% overall · n=37
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−4.2pp
2.8% vs 6.9% overall · n=37
Math · Disabilities−6.4pp
10.7% vs 17.1% overall · n=37

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income308 tested
ELA 31.6%·Math 12.0%· +0.1pp vs district
White171 tested
ELA 39.4%·Math 20.5%· +0.9pp vs district
Hispanic148 tested
ELA 34.5%·Math 13.5%· +1.6pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 0.7pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -1.3pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 64%Support 31%Other 5%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$42K
$43K below CA median
Bachelor's+
3%
32pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
11.9 years avg experience
27 teachers · 4% second-year
Teacher Credentials
72% fully credentialed

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →

Frequently asked questions

Is Palermo a good middle school?
Palermo has a Scope Score of 31 out of 100, placing it in the 26th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,659 statewide. 6.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 10.4 percentage points below the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Palermo's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 26.9% of students at Palermo met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 6.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 20.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 6.4% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 835 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Palermo rank in California?
Palermo ranks #1,659 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 26th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Palermo getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Palermo decreases by 4.1 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the middle Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Palermo?
16.9% of students at Palermo are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 11.4%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Palermo compare to other schools in Palermo?
Palermo scores 31/100 (26th percentile) among California middle schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 444 students. Use the schools in Palermo page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Palermo serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Palermo in Palermo, 31.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Palermo outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (12.0% Math proficient); White students (39.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 28.8 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 307 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 38%
6.4%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 38th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
-4.1pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 48th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
26.9%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 40th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
16.9%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 52th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
11.4%
↓ vs CA 3.7% · 19th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
15.6%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 42th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 61394%31%24%42%35%−12
Grade 71479%33%32%27%42%−6
Grade 81318%26%25%40%34%−12
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 61397%12%33%47%19%−16
Grade 71483%17%32%48%20%−14
Grade 81317%5%25%63%11%−21
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111314%13%58%25%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged30731.6%+0−7
White17039.4%+1−22
Hispanic/Latino14834.5%+2−4
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Palermo ←—316.4%26.9%−4.111.4%
California average—4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
29%31%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1523 → #1876 → #1252 → #1747 → #1659
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
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